Raptor identification help please...

[Mercia]

Hello folks,

Does anyone fancy identifying this bird from a silhouette shot. I took it on the shoreline of Lake Como in Italy.

It was a large bird - I'd say it was larger than a buzzard. Dark brown. Far away I could see another, circling in the manner of a buzzard.

I'd be grateful for any opinions/suggestions.

Mercia

[Fourwings]

Looks vaguely Kite-like, possibly Black Kite, but I could be very wrong

I think John maybe the man to help you.

[John]

It could be a Kite but which one you can't tell. If you could see the fingers that would tell you as a red Kite has 5 whereas a Black Kite has 6.

I was hoping the thumbnail would open up to be a bigger photo but at this size I would think it will be very hard to define which bird it is.

Regarding size relation to a Buzzard. Black Kite is more or less the same length but the wing span is longer. The Red Kite is larger in both length and wing span.

There is a possibility that this isn't even a Kite but could even be a possible Honey Buzzard with the "W" shaped front of wing shape.

To sum up, I don't know which raptor this is with any certainty. Too many variables.

[Imaginos]

Is the head too big to be a Honey Buzzard?

[Helen]

To be honest, I wouldnt' think a positive i.d. can be done from such a photo. We can all have a guess at what it "may appear to be", but I suspect that's all it will be - a guess.

[John]

Originally Posted by Imaginos

Is the head too big to be a Honey Buzzard?

You tell me?

Here is a link to a flying Honey Buzzard.

http://www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/Sig.../june_2004.htm

At the height of the bird in Mercia's photo it would be difficult to tell the size of the head. If the birds head was slightly turned it would give a slightly bigger silhouette so I'm afraid that even these silhouttes are not that diagnostic due to too many possible variables.

I'm afraid that Helen is spot on with her analysis and a guess is the best that could be offered as to what the bird is.

[Mercia]

Thank you all for your comments. The photos cannot be improved because I'd already magnified it as much as possible without losing too much detail. It was flying high, but soared or glided from one end of its 'patrol' to the other. There were no aerobatics as one might expect from a kite.

It will have to remain a mystery, but thanks again for answering.

Mercia

[Barn Owl Centre]

Looks like a Kite to me as there is a forkish tail to the bird. Do you have a larger image that can be viewed?